WASHINGTON – Arizona officials reacted swiftly, and predictably, to
Friday’s announcement that the Department Homeland Security will
exercise “discretion” when deciding whether to deport younger, low-risk
undocumented immigrants who were brought to this country as children.

The policy, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
and quickly backed by President Barack Obama, would give such
immigrants the opportunity to apply for a two-year deportation deferment
and a get two-year work visa.

Obama said the policy is “not amnesty … not immunity” but simply the “right thing to do” for young people in those circumstances.

“It makes no sense to expel talented young people, who, for all intents and purposes, are Americans,” he said.

Arizona Democrats praised the move as “long overdue” and a step in
the right direction. But critics quickly jumped on the plan, which they
said was little more than a “backdoor amnesty plan” and a politically
motivated, pre-emptive strike in advance of an expected Supreme Court
ruling on Arizona’s SB 1070 immigration law.

“It doesn’t take a cynic to recognize this action for what it is:
blatant political pandering by a president desperate to shore up his
political base,” said Gov. Jan Brewer in a statement Friday.

Napolitano said the policy takes effect immediately and applies to
individuals currently in deportation proceedings as well as any future
cases. She said the policy was sensible and allowed the department to put its resources where they are more urgently needed.

The policy applies to those who are less than 30 years old who can
prove that they arrived in the U.S. before their 16th birthday and have
been living here continuously for at least the last five years. They
must be in high school, or have graduated, or have an honorable
discharge from the military.

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They cannot have been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor, or pose any threat to public safety.

Immigrants who meet the criteria can apply for a two-year deferment
of their deportation, which Homeland Security will consider approving on
a case-by-case basis. If they are given a deferral, they can also apply
for a two-year work visa, with no guarantees.

The language mirrors that of the DREAM Act,
which has failed repeatedly in Congress. The DREAM – Development,
Relief and Education for Alien Minors – Act targeted the same group of
young immigrants, those brought here by their parents. But it would have
given those immigrants a route to citizenship, something the new
Homeland Security policy does not.

Obama invoked the DREAM Act Friday, but said partisan squabbling has blocked the bill.

“The need hasn’t changed. It’s still the right thing to do,” he said
of the act. “The only thing that has changed, apparently, was the
politics.”

But Republicans said it was Obama playing politics now.

“I find it interesting that after promising to enact comprehensive
reform in the first year of his presidency, the president chose to make
this announcement in the middle of his heated re-election campaign,”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in a prepared statement.

He said the president should “reach out to Congress and propose
legislation on this important issue” instead of unilaterally deciding
the issue.

Rep. David Schweikert, R-Scottsdale, called the policy a “backdoor
amnesty plan” that would increase the competition faced by unemployed
Arizonans who are trying to find work.

The state’s unemployment rate stood at 8.2 percent in May, with more
than 247,000 people out of a job, according to the federal Bureau of
Labor Statistics.

But Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, praised the policy, even though he
said it is not a permanent solution to the immigration problem.

“It’s a major step in the right direction,” said Grijalva, who called it a wonderful day for “millions who believe in fairness.”

Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum,
challenged the suggestion that the policy would harm unemployed
citizens by giving work visas to undocumented immigrants. It could do
the reverse, he said, by forcing “unscrupulous employers” who would
otherwise exploit young, undocumented workers to hire legal workers
instead.

“So this may very well be one of the better things that this
administration can do for the economy in terms of just … leveling the
playing field within the job market,” Noorani said.

He said the promise of a deferment alone is worthwhile for those
young immigrants who live in fear of deportation, even if a work visa
isn’t granted.

“There is a peace that comes with knowing that you cannot be deported,” Noorani said.

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President Barack Obama said the Homeland Security plan to not deport some low-risk immigrants is 'not amnesty … not immunity' but is the right thing to do for people brought here illegally as children.

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